One missing tooth can throw your entire oral harmony out of whack, so there’s no question that you should have the tooth replaced. But as with most dental treatment, you have options. Dr. Monteagudo offers traditional crown and bridgework, commonly called a bridge, or single tooth replacement with a dental implant. Don’t let dental prosthetics intimidate you. We’re talking about your health and your mouth, so you should know the facts.
A dental bridge consists of a few replacement teeth connected together. In most cases, if you need a single tooth replaced, the bridge will feature two crowns with a solid replacement tooth between them. Why three teeth? The two end crowns fit onto the existing teeth on either side of the space left by your missing tooth. These two adjacent teeth are called abutment teeth, and the crowns are abutment crowns. To hold the non-removable (fixed) bridge in place, the abutment teeth are reduced and crowned with the abutment crowns. While the dental bridge has a long history of success, Dr. Monteagudo wants you to know about a more conservative option: the dental implant. (more…)
